Falling for You
by sugarhigh123
Summary: All Human, AU. Bella and Edward are best friends, and have grown up together with the others. In eighth grade, Edward promises himself one thing. He won't fall for Bella. It's much easier spoken than done. Won't be cliched, I promise.
1. Prologue

I'm a little bit nervous about this story, since it's a serious one and I have little to no experience with that kind of thing (besides Valentine's Day, but I'm not sure if that counts…) So yeah

**I'm a little bit nervous about this story, since it's a serious one and I have little to no experience with that kind of thing (besides Valentine's Day, but I'm not sure if that counts…) So yeah. Let me know what you think about this, if you think it's a good idea or not…**

_Prologue_

_Edward's POV_

I stared long and hard at her. My girlfriend. I remember how I used to like her long, blonde hair. I used to love the bright color, how it was so light that I almost looked silver. But now, as I looked at it, her hair looked dull. It looked like it had been flat ironed and curled too many times to count, and if I were to touch it, it would feel rough. I used to think it looked silky, smooth, and soft under my fingertips. Now, it just looked disgustingly dead. I stared at the girl harder.

I also remember that I used to love her clear, blue eyes. Looking back, I used to think you could see everything in them. But, seeing them now, they looked shallow and depthless. Flat.

I looked back at her hair. I wanted it darker… and then, I found myself trying to change it, with my eyes, into the lovely mahogany color that belonged to my best friend. I imagined her hair being soft, and the same beautiful shade as Bella's…

And her eyes. I gazed forcefully into my girlfriend's blue eyes, dissatisfied. So, as I did with her hair, I tried to change it. Tried to make them the warm, chocolate color Bella had. Trying to force them to be as deep as hers. Trying to rearrange her face to look exactly like Bella…

It didn't work. She was still the blonde, blue-eyed girl I realized I still didn't want, after all these years. I found myself wishing I had Bella here, so I could stare into her beautiful eyes.

I realized another thing after I knew I wanted to be with my best friend. I did what I promised myself in the eighth grade I wouldn't do.

I fell in love with her. Dammit.

**Like I said, I'm not sure if this sounds right… Please review and let me know if I should continue? Also, title name is temporary, I think. It's not very good, pretty last minute, so if you have any other ideas for a title name please let me know.**


	2. Chapter 1: How it all began

I have decided that I will write this story

**I have decided that I will write this story. I want to point out one thing, though. I know the plot line seems kind of clichéd (the whole Edward and Bella are best friends that fall in love thing) but I just wanna tell you that it won't be. I mean, the first couple chapters might seem a little "I read this before…" but that's just to get things started. It will NOT be clichéd. Also, since this story starts out of them being younger, the language they use will be much less… correct, I guess you could say. Like in places where there could be 'big words', it's going to be 'broken down'. Some grammar will be off, too, because of their age.**

**Chapter 1: How it all began**

_Edward's POV _

_Age 8_

Today is the first day of third grade. I'm really nervous, because Alice said it's going to be a big year. Alice is my sister. She's older than me by a year, but she is in the same grade as me. She knows stuff like this, when things are going to happen. It's kind of cool, but weird.

"Come on, kids! We need to go!" Esme said. She is me and Alice's mom. Well, Alice's, anyway. She and Carlisle adopted me a few years ago.

"I'm here, I'm here," I said, racing down the steps.

"Are you excited for your first day of third grade?" Esme asked.

"Yep." I paused. "But I'm nervous."

She laughed. "Don't be. Emmett and Rosalie are going to be there, and they'll tell you what it's like."

"They already did." I sighed. Emmett and Rosalie are friends with me and Alice. They are going into fourth grade, though. We are also friends with Jasper, who was also a grade above us. He is really quiet, and mostly talks to Alice. Of course, he still talks to us, but he is with Alice the most. All five of us always hang out with each other. We are all best friends.

Esme patted my back. "You're going to have fun, I promise."

Alice hopped down the stairs now. "I'm ready, I'm ready!" she said quickly, as if we were going to leave without her or something. We got into the car, with Alice chatting up a storm. I was only half-listening.

"…and it's going to be so great! Edward! Are you listening to me?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah…"

"I said that there was going to be a new girl today!" This caught my attention. A new girl? In Forks?

"Who?"

"Her name is Isabella Swan. I think she likes to be called Bella, though. She's going into third grade, like us! We have to be friends with her."

I wasn't sure about that last part. We haven't included another person in our group since Jasper, in kindergarten.

"I don't know, Alice…" I started to say.

"It's going to be great! You'll love her." I sighed. I guess I shouldn't go against _Alice._

We were at school now. Me and Alice grabbed our backpacks and got out of the car.

"Bye, kids! Have fun!" Esme waved, and then drove away.

We walked over to the swing set, but saw the seats were already taken.

One of the people there was Mike Newton. The other was a girl I've never seen before. This must be Bella.

She was pretty. She had long brown hair, chocolate colored eyes. She was going really high on the swings. Then, she wasn't on them anymore. She was in the air.

She landed on the ground with a thud. I ran over to her, with Alice following behind me.

"Are you okay?" I asked. She looked up after a few seconds. Then she looked back down at her leg, then back up at me.

"Ow," she said. I laughed. She gave me and angry look.

"I think I'm fine…" she said, but stood up slowly to see if she really was. She wobbled a bit, so I held her elbow.

"I'm Edward, and this is my sister Alice." I pointed to my right where Alice was hopping up and down in place.

Bella looked at her. "I'm Bella, but you probably already know that." I smiled.

Alice then hugged Bella. "I'm so happy to finally meet you!" Bella looked shocked, but she slowly wrapped her arms around my sister.

I laughed again. Alice let go of her and smiled.

Bella giggled. "Thanks, I guess. It's nice to make friends so quickly." This reminded me. We needed to find Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper.

But before I could tell Alice this, the three of them were walking towards us.

"Hey Alice, Edward," Emmett said. He turned to look at Bella. "Who's your friend?"

"Guys, this is Bella. Bella, this is Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie." Alice pointed to each person as she said their names.

Emmett hugged Bella as soon as Alice finished introducing them, hiding her small body in his huge one. After he put her down, Bella was blushing.

Jasper smiled and waved a little at her.

"Hi," Rosalie said quietly.

It was going to be an interesting day.

* * *

At lunch, Bella sat at our table. Of course, Jessica Stanley, a really mean girl in our class, invited Bella to sit with her and her friends. She said no, though.

"So," I started. "Where are you from, Bella?"

"I lived with my mom in Phoenix, but she wanted me to live with my dad for a little while to see how I liked it. So, now I'm here."

"So your parents are divorced?" Emmett asked kind of loudly.

"Um, yeah…" Bella said, the blush coming back.

I opened my lunch box. I got a cookie out of the bag and split it in half.

"Want it?" I offered her one of the halves. She smiled and took it.

The rest of the day, we got to know Bella more. She's really clumsy, blushes a lot, and likes to read. When her dad picked her up from school, Alice turned to me.

"She's going to fit in our group perfectly. I know it." I didn't doubt her one bit. I thought she would fit in good, too.

**I hope I got the eight year old feel in there, without dumbing him up too much or making him sound too smart. I also hope that this wasn't too clichéd, but if it was keep in mind that it will get less clichéd with every chapter. It just starts out that way to get things… well, started up. It gets much better, by the way. The action really starts when the poor guy is 13! –Laughs evilly- Ahem. Reviews are helpful and very much loved… and for each one, you get a better chance at finding Edward! If they said things like that in commercials, it would be the perfect scam for getting lots of customers… but seriously, if you review, I'll love you. Unless it's a flame. In that case, Jacob's gonna hate you because he'll be burning in hell… Thanks, Cara!**


	3. Chapter 2: Can't be true

**Sorry for the delete, I got a few things I need to fix.**

**By the way, sorry this is so short. The chapters are going to get longer, starting next chapter. **

**Chapter 2: Can't be true**

_Edward's POV_

_Edward-Age 10_

_Bella-Age 9_

"Edward, I'm scared." Bella was at my house today, like she has been almost every day this summer. Right now we were in my room.

Over the past two years, Bella and I have become best friends. That doesn't mean that we haven't been best friends with the rest of the group, we were just closest to each other. I think that Jasper and Alice have been closet to each other, too. Same for Emmett and Rosalie.

"Why, Bella?" I asked. Why would she be scared?

"Since we are going into fifth grade now, that means Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie aren't going to be at our school anymore. Half of our group is gone!" She looked nervous.

"Relax, Bella. The middle school is right next to us. We'll see them before and after school all the time. It's gonna be great."

She looked like she didn't agree with me. "Your not nervous? Not even a little?"

"Of course I am. But I know it's going to work out. You know why? Because between the two of us, we can get through anything. Then, if you add Alice, it's going to be easy!" she laughed.

Bella was still pretty. Her hair was a little longer now, and she was a couple inches taller. She hasn't changed much, though.

Fourth grade has been a breeze for us. It was really fun, actually. We had a bunch of pajama days, movie days, and all sorts of other things. I loved it.

We went downstairs to find Alice. She looked anxious.

"I've been waiting for you guys! We need to find first day or school outfits!" Bella groaned. She hated shopping, fashion, and anything Alice did with her that turned her into a life size Barbie doll.

"Aw, come on, Bella! Please?"

"No. No way." We saw Bella's dad walk into the room now.

"Hey, kids." We all said hi to him quietly.

"See you later, Edward. Alice." She glared at her. She hugged me quickly and left with Charlie following behind her.

I turned around to see Alice smiling.

"What?" I asked.

"You like her." She grinned wider.

"Yeah, of course I do. She's my best friend. Alice? Why are you smiling like that? You're scaring me…" I backed away a bit.

"No, I mean you LIKE like her." I was confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked. She just kept staring at me, smiling. Then I understood.

"Whoa, hang on. You think I have a crush on Bella?"

"No, I _know_ you do. It's so obvious. You were grinning like an idiot when she hugged you."

"Wait, what are you talking about? No I wasn't!"

"You're defensive. Almost a little _too _defensive…" she trailed off.

"I don't like Bella like that!"

"Yes you do. Or, at least, you will. I know it."

"Ugh!" I ran up to my room. There was no way I had a crush on Bella.

I heard the phone ringing from my parent's room.

"I'll get it!" I called.

I ran to get the phone and pressed the 'talk' button.

"Hello?" I said as I walked back to my room.

"Are you being tortured by Alice?" It was Bella.

"No, but I'm afraid for what's coming tomorrow."

She giggled. It was a nice sound, I realized.

"You know what Alice said after you left?"

"What?"

"She said I have a crush on you!" I started laughing, trying to get her to do the same. She didn't.

"Bella?"

"Oh…ha…ha…that's funny." She sounded like she was trying to convince me she thought it was funny, but failing. A lot. I wonder why she was acting like that.

Esme took this moment to call me down for dinner.

"Hey Bella, I have to go. Dinner's ready. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure." It sounded like she was smiling. "Bye, Edward."

"See ya, Bella." I hung up the phone and put it back in my parent's room.

At dinner, Alice kept glancing at me, in that "I know something you don't" kind of way. It was annoying.

But, after I ate, I went upstairs and lay on my bed, with my eyes open.

I was very nervous about what Alice had said earlier. Maybe I was over thinking it. But I couldn't get rid the suspicion.

No. There was absolutely no way I liked Bella like that. She was my best friend, nothing more.

But then the image of Bella's face popped into my head. It made me smile.

Oh no.

I panicked. I couldn't have a crush on Bella, could I?

**I hope I got the 10 year old Edward feel here. To those of you about to review telling me 'they're 10 years old! They don't get crushes!' I remember that when I was in Elementary School, it was always 'who do you like?' so I'm just basing this off of my experience. Keep in mind, at this point; it's just one of those Elementary crushes. We've all had one of those and know how it feels, right? So, if you are **_**still**_** going to review telling me that kids don't get crushes, piss off. But, other than that, I love reviews, and I'll love you if you do review, good or bad. And the chapters WILL GET LONGER! And they will be much more interesting, starting the next. **


	4. Chapter 3: Graduation

**I would like to start off by saying that I am very, very, VERY sorry that I haven't updated in so long. I had a virus in my computer, and my uncle came to fix it. It took a while, but my computer is now officially virus-free. I also want to say that I know that this story, so far, seems a little boring, but next chapter, things get exciting; much more drama filled, at the very least. Things start happening when he turns 13, though. So, for a turn of events, this chapter is in Bella's point of view. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: Graduation**

_Bella's POV_

_Edward: Age 11_

_Bella: Age 10_

Today was the day. Graduation day. Today, we would graduate from Forks Elementary school and get ready to go to Forks Middle School. I was excited and terrified.

Alice, Edward and I had a really good year in 5th grade. It was too serious, though. Not as fun as 4th. Much harder this year.

We all really missed Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper. I think that Alice and Jasper missed each other the most. In the middle of the year Alice and Jasper told the other that they liked them more than as a friend. So now, they both knew, but they didn't do anything about it. They didn't want to 'go out' (however you can actually do that in 5th and 6th grade, anyway) because they thought it was stupid how other people did that, even though they don't actually do anything. They wanted the other to know how they felt, though.

Rosalie and Emmett also liked each other, but they didn't know it. Rosalie had told me and Emmett told Edward. We told each other. Emmett is afraid to tell Rosalie for fear of rejection; she's so pretty, he's afraid she thinks that she is out of his league. Rosalie wants to keep her independence, and she is afraid that if she tells him that she likes him that he'll hang on her and she won't get any space.

What about me and Edward? Well, we are best friends. I have a crush on him, though. Of course, I haven't told him. He doesn't like me that way. Not only would I be rejected, but it would ruin our friendship.

So now, while I was in Alice's room getting my dress on, I was anxious to see Edward dressed up for graduating. I'm sure he's going to look amazing.

I looked at myself in the mirror. Plain as always, but good enough for graduation, I guess. I wanted to stay out of the spotlight, anyway.

I ran downstairs to find Alice and Edward waiting for me.

Alice was in a black dress with pink stripes. Edward was in a while button down shirt and tan pants. He looked great, just like I'd thought he would. And looking at Alice, I felt my self esteem dropping.

Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper were riding with Emmett's parents to get to the ceremony. We were meeting them, and Charlie, at school. My mom wasn't able to come. She broke a bone in her leg, and she can't be walking around too much.

Alice, being her hyper self, was bouncing in place. Edward looked pretty excited, too.

"Wow, Bella! You look amazing!" Alice gushed. I was wearing an ivory dress that had a flower at the start of the sleeve.

"So do you, Alice. You look good too, Edward."

"You look nice, Bella," he said. I blushed.

We took Carlisle's car to get there, with Esme in the front seat. I sat in back, with Alice and Edward. I was sitting between them, in the middle. It was a little uncomfortable for me, being squished against Edward so closely.

The drive was short. When we got out of the car, we saw most of the kids were already there.

Carlisle hugged the three of us. "You'll do great," he said. We thanked him and ran over to the others.

When we got there, Mike Newton came up to me.

"Congratulations, Bella!"

"Thanks, Mike." For some reason, he recently started talking to me, around April. Trying to make friends with me, I guess. I didn't think too much of it.

I saw Edward glaring at him. I wonder why.

The teachers all put us in our positions and we were lined up in alphabetical order. I was next to Jessica Stanley. Just… great.

It wasn't that I hated Jessica. But she would start talking to you, and asking random questions about your life. Not in the way that meant she actually cared, though. More for gossip, I think.

The ceremony passed by pretty quickly. I didn't pay attention much; I was mostly watching Edward. When I walked across the stage, I heard my dad, Esme, Carlisle, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett screaming. They did the same thing with Alice and Edward. It was… amazing. Graduating felt so surreal. I couldn't believe we were actually moving on to Middle School. It all went by so fast.

After we all graduated, we were free to go to our parents or meet up with friends. Edward immediately ran up to me and gave me a huge hug, squeezing me until I was gasping for air. He was smiling so wide it looked like his face would hurt.

"Congratulations, Bella! We're moving on to middle school!" He sounded so happy and overjoyed, I couldn't help but be excited with him.

"I know! It's going to be great!" He finally put me down. Then, he kissed my cheek. Oh my gosh.

Edward's parents took this time to congratulate him. My cheek burned, and I was dancing on the inside.

"I'm so proud of you both!" Esme said, lightly hugging us. My dad came over.

"Congrats, Bells!" he smiled and embraced me.

Alice ran over to me and wrapped her arms around me. We jumped up and down.

"This is so amazing! I can't believe it! We're done! Elementary School is over!" She stopped jumping and looked at me. Her eyes were red.

"Oh, Alice! You're crying! You're going to make _me_ cry!"

She wiped her eyes. "I can't help it. This is so sad! I mean, I'm glad it's finally over, but… that's just it! It's over!" A few more tears ran down her cheeks. It was a heartbreaking sight.

"It's not the end! It's just another beginning!" I told her. I saw the rest of our group coming over here now. Maybe Jasper could cheer her up.

Alice sniffled. The others were here now.

"You guys did great! Congrats!" Emmett was grinning from ear to ear. He threw his arms around the three of us.

Jasper hugged Alice when Emmett let go of her, and stood next to her. She looked happy again.

Rosalie patted my back and smiled at me.

"Ice cream, anyone?" Carlisle asked.

"Ooh! Ice cream!" Emmett squealed.

We all got in the cars we came in and drove to the nearest ice cream shop.

Only we kids got something. Emmett got Cookies 'n' Cream, Rosalie got Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Alice got Vanilla, Jasper got Strawberry, I got Chocolate, and Edward got Mint Chip.

We decided to sit outside. The adults were at one table. Edward and I sat on a bench, and the other four sat at a table a few feet away from us.

Edward held out his spoon that had a scoop of his ice cream to me.

"Want some?" he asked. It reminded me of my first day at Forks Elementary, when he gave me half of his cookie. I smiled at the memory.

"Thanks." I said, and I pushed my cup over to him. He got my spoon and took a bite.

While we were eating, we looked over at Rosalie and Emmett. They kept glancing at each other, and every time they caught each other's eye, they blushed a little bit and looked away.

"Look at them," I whispered. "They are clueless."

Edward stared at them. "One day," he said. "Eventually."

We turned out attention to Alice and Jasper. They were shoving ice cream in each other's faces, laughing. They looked so cute. I glanced at Edward. I wish I didn't like him in "that way". I am just setting myself up for rejection.

* * *

When we got home, Edward was quiet. We went up to his room. After a few minutes, he spoke.

"Hey Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for being my best friend." That was random.

"Of course. Why would you need to thank me for that?"

He just smiled. I walked over to him and hugged him.

"Best friends." I said.

He nodded his head.

"Forever." he agreed.

**Still a little bit short. I swear that these are going to get longer. Its still a little slow, I know. But middle school is up next, and that's when the drama begins, as we all know. I know I didn't put much of a description for what they were dressed in for graduating, but come on. She's ten. I doubt a ten year old would describe all of the details of clothing. Just stick with me here, this is going to get better. Like I said earlier, I apologize for not updating before. Stupid virus. So, please review and let me know how you like this so far. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 4: It's about time

**So did anyone go to Borders for the Pre-Twilight Release Party thing? I did, it was so fun. When they asked what we were excited for in the movie, while everyone was screaming "Edward!", I said "I can't wait to see Billy Black!" It was hilarious. Well, I guess you had to be there to see the real humor in it. And you know how they were raffling off two Twilight tickets? Guess who won? Yes, I won, and it was amazing. But I already had tickets for Friday at 7:30, so I'm going to see the movie twice! A few friends are trying to buy the tickets from me, though… Also, who saw the scene where Bella meets the Cullens? I loved Alice in it. **

**This chapter has a little bit of a starting point to events, but things are going to get more creative soon. This is one of my favorite chapters, and you'll see why. Hope you like it!**

**Chapter 4: It's about time**

_Edward's POV_

_Age 11_

The school year has been very eventful, so far. Right now, it's May. Sixth Grade is almost over.

Apparently, in Middle School people start dating. It's really stupid. Only seventh and Eighth graders actually go places, but sixth graders "go out" in school. It's really confusing, and doesn't make any sense. And the worst part? Alice and Jasper have taken to this weird fad and are now "official". Not sure how exactly they do that, but I'm happy for them. I guess.

Rosalie and Emmett _still_ haven't told each other that they like the other. Yep, they still like each other. It's so frustrating, though. It's like a TV show to watch. You are anxious because you think it's just about to happen, but at last minute something happens and destroys it, and leaves you with more suspense.

And, yes. I do have a crush on Bella. Happy? I'm not. I don't like having a crush on my best friend. I really, really like her, and there is nothing I can do about it.

I've tried to do something about it. The usual stuff, like thinking of all of her bad qualities, or avoiding her. The problem is, I can't find any bad qualities. What others think are bad, it just makes me like her more. Avoiding her doesn't work either. It doesn't make sense to stay away from my best friend. She would realize something was wrong.

So when this didn't work, I tried other things. I've tried to delude myself into thinking she had done some really horrible sins, which is really just stupid. I have no idea why I thought that would be smart. I've even tried to be mean to her, to make her be mean to me, so I could see her as a bad person a little more realistically. That worked for about ten minutes. I could never actually think of her like that. Also, I didn't _want_ to be mean to her.

After all of that, I gave up. And, I came to a conclusion: I'll get over it. I mean, it's just a crush. Everyone gets over those. We all do.

Which brings me to Tanya. She moved to Forks from Alaska, along with her three sisters and brother. But the thing that stands out?

She. Won't. Stop. Following. Me.

It's annoying and creepy. She is a borderline stalker. She likes me, it turns out. It started with just saying hi to me in the halls. Then, I got the notes in my locker decorated with hearts. So many notes… After those didn't work, she took a more direct approach; if you can call a direct approach cornering me in the hallway while begging me to go out with her.

I keep trying to tell her NO. I guess she doesn't understand me, or rejection. Either way, she won't leave me alone.

I mean, she's nice, and pretty, in a took-me-hours-to-make-my-hair-like-this kind of way. But I don't like her like that. I don't think I ever will. She's too superficial. And, she's not Bella.

There's another problem. She keeps popping up into my head when I least expect it. I just need to keep telling myself that I will get over it soon…

Right now, I was at Bella's house doing homework with her. We were sitting right next to each other, and it made me nervous. She just was a couple inches away.

Since I found out that I like Bella in "that way", I found it hard to look her in the eyes. I would try, but I'd either stare much longer than necessary, or get too nervous and look away.

"Edward, how do you do number 3?" Bella asked, pointing to the book in her lap.

I leaned over her to look at the book, and tried VERY hard not to think about how close we were.

I explained the problem to her the best I could. She seemed to understand it, because when I finished she nodded and sped through the problem.

I walked to the fridge to get us both sodas. I would have tossed Bella's to her, but she obviously wouldn't catch it, being as clumsy as she is.

"So, Bella, how was your day?" I asked, like I always do.

"Boring. My dad is having his best friend, Billy, over this weekend, though. He said he's got a surprise for me. Weird… but you can come, if you want."

"When is it?" I asked.

"Saturday at four."

"I think I can make it."

She smiled, and we got back to our homework.

* * *

On Saturday, I was standing on Bella's doorstep at 4 o' clock sharp. She opened the door and smiled brightly at me.

"Edward!"

"Hey, Bella." I stepped inside and saw a man in a wheelchair with long black hair.

"Edward, this is Billy Black." Bella told me. I shook his hand.

"Hi, I'm Edward."

"I'm Billy. It's nice to meet you." He smiled. His voice was very deep and rough.

Just then, Charlie ran down the stairs.

"Bella, I have a surprise for you! Go into the garage."

We all followed her there, and heard barking. In the garage was a huge, russet-colored dog.

"A dog! Thank you so much, dad! What's this for?"

He shrugged. "You deserve it. I feel like I don't do enough for you."

The dog licked her face. "What's its name?" she asked.

"Jacob. I mean, we THINK it's a boy. 99 percent sure."

I walked over to pet him. "Hey boy…" I reached my hand out, and he bit it. I yanked my hand away quickly.

"Ow! He bit me!" I cried. He didn't bite hard enough to draw blood, but it still hurt.

"I don't think he likes you…" Bella said. Jacob was growling at me. He then turned to Bella and was licking her face again. She laughed.

It's going to be a long day.

* * *

On Monday, we walked into school to find Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett.

Jasper and Alice were nowhere to be seen. But, we _did _find Rosalie and Emmett. I grabbed Bella's arm and pulled her away with me before they could see us.

"Bella, we need to do something about them. They are both too stupidly afraid to do it themselves." _Just like I am,_ I thought.

We stared at them for a minute. Then, she turned to me and stared in my eyes. I couldn't look away.

I have an idea! We can't tell them that they like each other, which would be bad. Maybe we could write a note, or something, and put it in one of their lockers." The image of all of the notes Tanya put in mine flashed into my head. Wait, this isn't the same thing. I pushed the picture away quickly and nodded.

"That could work…" I said slowly. "How about we put it in Emmett's locker, since he thinks he'll reject her. Maybe if he knew Rosalie like him too, he'd tell her…"

"It's worth a shot. Let's do it now, before they go to their lockers!" We ran down the hall to Emmett's locker. I got out a pen and tore off a piece of paper from my notebook. Then, I wrote three words on the paper as neat nad unrecognizable as I could.

_Rosalie likes you._

Bella took it from me and put it in one of the slots in the locker.

"Perfect." Bella said, grinning triumphantly.

After school, Bella and I were hiding behind a wall, getting ready to eavesdrop on Rosalie and Emmett. We saw him approach her.

"Hey, Rose." He said nervously. It was a weird thing to hear. He was always so confident.

"Oh, hi, Em. What's up?"

"The usual… but, um, I have… something to ask you."

"What is it?"

Emmett took a deep breath.

"Okay. I'm just going to say this. Rosalie, do you like me?"

She turned bright red. It was unusual for her, since she rarely got embarrassed.

"Well, I, um, uh…" she stuttered. Another strange occurrence. Only _they_ could do that to each other…

"Because Rose, I really like you. I understand if you don't feel the same way, but I—"

"I do, though! How could I not? You're cute, funny…" I took this as my cue to leave. I didn't need to hear her describe Emmett like that. It would be like hearing your sister talk to her best friend about boys, or something. Very uncomfortable.

Bella and I ran away to the front of the school. When we were a safe distance away, Bella smiled hugely.

"It worked!" she said.

"I can't wait to see how this turns out." It's moments like these that remind me of our friendship, and how much fun we have together. The many things that we've done, stuff just like this. It also reminds me of why I could never tell her that I like her, because I could never bear to loose this. Besides, why would I ruin years of friendship for some stupid crush that I'll get over soon?

* * *

When I got home, I saw Emmett already there, sitting on the couch.

"How did you get in here?!" I yelled.

"Rosalie's dad took me. Relax. He's got a key to your house. But that's not important right now." He spoke very quickly.

"What happened?" I asked, even though I already knew. Better to have him tell me than have him find out about my eavesdropping, though.

"Well, I found this note in my locker, saying Rosalie liked me." I had to stifle a laugh. "I didn't actually believe it, of course. But then I got to thinking. So I tell her, and she doesn't return the interest. That can't stop me. I'm not _that_ big of a coward. I mean, I AM Emmett." He grinned. "So after school, I told her, and she said she like me back! Then I asked her out, and she said yes." He looked so happy.

"So this fad has gotten to you too, huh? I can't believe it." Bella and I were the only ones left untainted by this.

"Not. The. Point. The point is, Rosalie likes me!"

"Dude, you sound like a girl." I grinned.

"Shut up. Now if only we could get you and Bella…" Wait, what?

"How do you know about that?"

"It's pretty obvious. Besides, you guys are the odd ones out. It's bound to happen." He shrugged. And I had tried so hard to keep it a secret. What surprised me was that it was _Emmett_ who found out, and not Jasper. Emmett is always so… so _Emmett_.

"Just don't tell anyone, okay? Not Jasper, not Rosalie, no one. Got it?"

"Alright, alright." He held up his hands in defense.

"Good."

**Long chapter! I think I would make a terrible guy. Did they seem too mature in this chapter? I remember thinking like this when I had a huge crush in sixth grade, but I **_**am**_** a girl, so I guess it's different. If you haven't figured out why this is my favorite chapter so far, it's because Jacob is a pet dog. I had to make him a part of this because he IS part of Twilight, but I couldn't find it in my heart to make him a human. I hope you've been liking the story so far. I know I keep saying this, but it really will get better, or at least there will be a lot more suspense and plot soon. I am all for creative plots, and I have a lot of ideas for it. I mean, I AM a lefty. Just kidding. Well, I am a lefty, but I'm not saying right handed people are less creative. Anyway… Tell me how you liked this chapter, please. You got a little taste of Rosalie and Emmett in there. Thanks!**


	6. How was it?

**Sorry about the note here, just want to say that the next update will probably be in about a week... maybe shorter, though. Sorry it will take so long, I have a TON of stuff going on right now, though. The next chapter should be fairly long, or at least longer than any of the previous chapters.**

**On a side note, who has seen the Twilight movie? I did, TWICE. And let me tell you, it was the best movie I have seen in my entire life. I can't get enough of it, and I am dying to watch it again. Hopefully next weekend… Let me be honest, I had extremely high expectations for the movie. Not only were these expectations met, but they went above and beyond my highest hopes for the movie. I know that a lot of you were disappointed that it was missing a lot of stuff from the book (i.e. some of the scenes, Carlisle's back story, Jasper's power explained) but think about it. This is Twilight the MOVIE. Not Twilight the BOOK. Also, keep in mind that they had to try and put a little over 500 pages into a 2 hour movie, while keeping the essence of the story. A little hard to do, I think. They managed it perfectly, though. I adored it, and hope to see it again. What did you guys think of it?**


	7. Chapter 5: Past, present, and future

**Sorry it took so long to update! I've been so busy. How was the Twilight movie for everyone? Best movie I have ever seen, personally. I just saw it for the third time today. Anyway… I think this chapter is longer, and a little better. I'm trying to show them all maturing into older kids, and I hope I am succeeding. I was going to wait until I finished writing the chapter after this to post this one, but it would take too long. But, I know exactly what I am going to write for it, and I hope you like it.**

**Chapter 5: Past, present, and future**

_Bella's POV_

_Age 12_

"Oh my god. She won't leave me alone!" Edward groaned, and put his head in his hands. He was talking about Tanya. She is very persistent. She really likes Edward, and is determined to get him to like her.

And… I still like him. Sort of a problem. See, he's been going through a bit of a growth spurt lately, making him the apple of every girl in the seventh grade's eye. Including mine.

But they all like him because of his looks. For them, it's not a real crush. They just think he's everything special and great because he's good looking.

I like him because of who he is, not because of his looks. Not that I don't think he's… well, indescribably perfect. I'm just biased, though. It's always like that when you get a crush on someone.

So, this sucks. I have a big crush on my best friend, and it's setting myself for the worst rejection I can even get at twelve years old, which probably isn't much. But just enough. Perfect.

"I'm sorry, Edward. But you have to admit, it _is_ pretty funny." I told him.

He sighed. "I guess you would think so, if you weren't the stalk-_ee_ in this situation." We were in my garage. We hung out here a lot, now. We have a couch and everything.

Jacob started barking. I grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it at him. Edward grinned.

"Aw, is Jacob annoying you?"

"Yes! You know, at first, he was a great dog. But now, he's just mean. He keeps scratching me, and biting you. He pisses me off." It turns out that he IS a boy, though half the time it would be hard to believe.

"True… anyway, what do I do about Tanya?"

I sighed. "I don't know, Edward. You'll figure something out."

He sighed too.

The next day, I went to homeroom and found Tanya bugging Edward. Again.

"You know, one day, you'll say yes. We'll be together." She said, in a creepy voice. It sounded a little deranged.

"I doubt it, Tanya," Edward said in an annoyed voice. She walked away, flipping her hair as she went. When she was gone, I laughed.

"It's not funny." Edward glared at me.

"You're right, it's not." I sighed and sat down next to him. I mean, the concept of Tanya harassing Edward was funny, but the thought of it…. She's gorgeous. Edward might doubt her, but I didn't. He probably would say yes to her one day. I was sure of it.

* * *

After school, Edward, Alice and I were in the Cullen's downstairs living room watching TV, but not really paying attention.

I heard the phone ring. Alice ran to the table to pick it up.

"Hello?" she asked, in a chirpy voice. She paused, and then looked at me.

"'Kay, one sec." she said into the receiver. She covered the speaker with her hand.

"Bella, it's for you. Your dad." I walked over to her and took the phone.

"Dad?"

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I have some bad news. I um… I can't believe I did this. I feel so horrible."

"What happened?"

"Well…" I heard him sigh. "When I was driving my car in the garage, I accidentally ran Jacob over." I gasped. "I'm so sorry, honey. I feel just awful about this."

That was shocking. It wasn't too horrible, though. Of course, I would miss him. But like I said earlier, he wasn't too wanted. Pretty mean, actually. Deceiving.

"Wow. That's… surprising. But don't worry about it, dad. He wasn't a very good dog, anyway. You liked him more than I did." I tried to assure him.

"I really do feel bad, though."

"It's fine. I'm okay, really."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely. We'll talk about it at home."

"Alright…" He didn't sound convinced. "See you later."

"Bye."

After I hung up, Alice and Edward stared at me.

"What'd he say?" Alice asked.

"He… he ran over Jacob with his car. He's… not with us anymore."

"What?!" Alice cried. "Charlie, or the dog?!"

"Alice! Jacob, of course!"

"Oh, thank god." She looked relieved.

Edward said something under his breath. It sounded like "finally".

"What?" I asked him.

"Uh, nothing…" he said nervously. "I'm going to the bathroom. Be right back." He walked by me, and I stiffened a little. Must work on my horrible reactions…

Alice raised her eyebrows. I hadn't told her that I liked him, and I planned to keep her in the dark. I think she sees through me, though.

"You like him, don't you?" she asked skeptically. Yep, she definitely sees through me. I tried to play dumb.

"I… I don't know what you're talking about, Alice." I stuttered, my blush giving me away. She raised her eyebrows again. I sighed.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked.

"Kind of. Maybe I'm just know these things, though." She grinned. She was referring to her 'sixth sense' about things.

"You won't tell him, right?"

"Of course not. Your secret's safe with me. But I think he likes you too."

"You're strange, Alice."

She shrugged. "So I've been told."

Edward took this moment to walk back into the room.

"What'd I miss?" he asked, sounding oblivious. Thank god. That means he didn't hear anything.

"Nothing," Alice lied. She glanced at me. Then, the phone rang again.

"I got it." Edward said. He picked up the phone from the table and pressed 'talk'.

"Hello?" He paused to hear what the person on the other line was saying, and his eyes widened.

"How did you get this number?" he demanded. After whoever he was talking to said something, he sighed angrily and hung up.

"Who was it?" I asked.

"Tanya." Oh. That explains things.

"How did she get your number?"

"She won't tell me. Ugh, this is getting out of control!"

"She will stop at nothing." Alice agreed. We all sighed.

"I think I'm going to have my dad pick me up now. I think he's still worried about how I took the news about Jacob." I told them.

"Okay. I'm sorry about that, by the way." Edward looked at me guiltily.

"I'm fine, really. Don't worry about it." Alice eyed me again.

I called my dad after that and asked him to take me home. When he arrived, he hugged me. A strange thing for him to do. He usually wasn't one to show affection, especially in front of others.

"I'll see you guys later."

"Bye, Bella." Alice and Edward said at the same time.

When we were I the car, my dad looked at me.

"I'm really sorry, Bella." He looked so sad.

"Don't be. It's okay. You didn't know he was in there."

"Yeah, but…" This went on for a while until I finally convinced him I was fine, and that we should go home.

* * *

When we finished dinner, I ran up to my room. I thought about some of the many memories I had with Edward. One of my favorite ones was when I broke my arm in fourth grade, and had everyone sign it.

_Flashback_

_It was recess, and Edward, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett and I were playing on the slide. Alice and Jasper were going down together with Rosalie and Emmett pushing them. Edward and I were hanging upside down off the edge, with our legs on the bars to hold us there._

"_Hey Edward, look at this!" I yelled and took my legs off the bars. Only my feet in one of the little holes in the floor of the slide held me there._

"_Uh, Bella, you might wanna be careful. You'll probably fall, with your luck." He turned his head to look at me. _

"_Don't be silly, of course I won't—" But I didn't have time to finish my sentence, because my foot slipped, and I was falling._

_I didn't have much time to react. How was I supposed to land? I knew that my head was the wrong answer. Was it my legs, or my arms? And how would I even do that without getting hurt?_

_Before I could choose what to do, I was on the ground, and my arm hurt really bad. Then, everyone was running to me— my group of friends, plus a lot of my other classmates that were outside. I saw Edward, and he looked panicked._

"_Bella! Are you okay? I'm going to get a teacher!" I heard him say. He sounded scared. _

_From then on, everything was a big blur. I just remembered my dad coming to get me, Alice crying for some reason, and my arm in a lot of pain._

_When I woke up the next morning, I had a headache. I felt something on my left arm. A purple cast? Then, it all came back to me. I had gone to the hospital after my dad got me, and my arm was broken. I remembered that I asked him if I could get people to sign my cast, and he said yes. _

_At school that day, I brought a giant, black sharpie._

_My friends were the first to see me in the cast._

"_Bella! Are you okay?" Alice cried._

"_Other than a broken arm, I think so." I shrugged. Edward came out from behind Alice._

"_I was so worried! I'm so sorry, Bella!" he hugged me. When he pulled away, he grinned smugly._

"_But, I just want you to know that I told you so."_

"_What did you tell me?"_

"_That you would fall." Oh. I stuck my tongue out at him._

"_Whatever. That doesn't mean that you're always right."_

"_Sure it doesn't." he said in a way that made me think that he thought that was exactly what it meant._

_After that, everyone signed my cast. Edward was the first one to sign. His was the biggest; it took up the entire front side of my arm. When I asked him why he made it so big, he said it was so every time I looked down I would remember exactly who told me I would get the cast. It would have been nice, if it weren't for the fact that he was bragging. _

_Alice signed next. It was half as big as Edwards, and had little hearts around it. Then, Jasper signed it really small, next to Alice's name. After him was Rosalie, who also signed small. Emmett's was big and sloppy. He drew a bear next to his name._

"_Wow…" I said, as I stared at my cast. My dad, Esme, and Carlisle signed after the group did, so my cast was just about completely covered._

"_I just need to add one more thing," Edward said. He got the sharpie and covered my eyes so I wouldn't see what he wrote. When he finished, I looked at it and lightly punched his shoulder._

'_I told you so,' it said, right next to his name._

_End Flashback_

I smiled at the memory. Then, I thought of the sleepover Alice, Edward and I had for Halloween in 5th grade. Alice had fallen asleep before midnight, but Edward and I were high off sugar **(A/N note my username, "sugarhigh")** and had a bet to pull an all-nighter. We got sick from all of the candy the next day.

_Flashback_

_It was Halloween night of 5__th__ grade for us. We just finished trick-or-treating. We had filled the entire pillowcase with candy._

_Alice was a fairy. She was wearing a pink leotard, a pink skirt, pink headband, pink wand, pink leggings, and pink ballet slippers. From head to toe, she was dressed in pink. She even painted her nails pink._

_Edward was being a doctor. He was able to borrow most of his costume from Carlisle. He had a white lab coat with "Dr. Cullen" written on one of the pockets. The coat went down to his ankles. He was also wearing a stethoscope around his neck and scrubs under the coat. _

_I was a witch. I had a black hat with a purple web design sewn in. I also had a wig of white hair attached to the hat. I had a long, loose, long-sleeved dress on. My face was painted green, along with my hands and neck._

_Emmett was… himself. Very original. Jasper was a soldier. Rosalie was Marilyn Monroe. Again._

_Those three went trick-or-treating with us, but mostly stayed to the side. They were all sleeping over at Jasper's house. I was sleeping over at Alice and Edward's house. We had gotten back around eight, and we have been pigging out on candy since._

_Alice actually fell asleep first, around ten, which was surprising, because she's always the most hyper out of all of us. Edward and I took this to our advantage, though. We had eaten a lot of candy, so would probably be up for a while._

"_Hey, Edward. Let's make a bet." I was bouncing up and down in the dark room, hyper at eleven at night. _

"_What kind of bet?"_

"_Let's see who can stay up the longest. Whoever loses has to go to school in their pajamas on Monday."_

_Edward stuck out his right hand. "You're on."_

_I shook his hand, and ate another piece of candy. I would need to stay awake all night, and that meant I would need lots of sugar._

_I looked at Edward. He was doing the same thing I was. I smiled evilly at him. He laughed. _

_Four hours later, we were still eating candy. Our pillowcases were almost empty now. My eyelids were sagging. But there was no way I was going to lose this. I would not wear pajamas to school._

_Okay, so it's not really the whole pajamas thing that made me want to win. I usually just wear sweats, anyway. But I have to win the competition. Edward is good at everything, but I need to find just one thing I can do better than him. And, if that one thing is being able to stay awake longer, so be it._

_Edward looked as tired as I was._

"_Getting a little sleepy, Edward? You know, you could always quit." I taunted._

"_Nope. I feel great. What about you, Bella? Tired yet?"_

_We stared each other down, eating candy at the same time._

_Another hour passed. Four in the morning. Probably not healthy for a ten year old. But that's not important right now. Edward is still awake with me. We are still tired. We agreed that the bet would go on until 7 in the morning, and then it would be a truce. _

_Alice is still passed out on the couch. I was pretty close to doing the same, but I had to win._

_Edward also looked dead on his feet. He was just as determined as I was, though. _

_Oh, and did I mention we were out of candy?_

_We would have taken some of Alice's, but she was hugging it tightly. Whenever we touched the bag, she unconsciously gripped it tighter like it was her own baby or something._

_Edward and I glared at each other._

_It was going to be a long three hours._

_6:58 AM_

_We had two minutes. Obviously Edward wasn't going to back down. He had just put his head in the freezer a couple minutes ago. I was so close to falling asleep. _

_Two minutes! I could do this! _

_But I was so tired…_

_No. STAY. AWAKE._

_Was I crazy for fighting with myself in my head? Probably. Oh well. I guess that's the result of staying awake all night. _

_One minute. It's not possible to fall asleep in one minute, right?_

_30 seconds. Okay, Edward wasn't losing. That was obvious. Now if I could just keep my head from falling on the table…_

_Ten seconds. Keep eyelids open!_

_Three. Two…one. _

_Leave it to Alice to wake up at exactly the time we would want to go to bed._

"_Hey guys! Woah, you look like you haven't slept all night…" Alice looked perfectly rested. At least SHE didn't stay up all night because of a stupid bet that none of us won._

_Edward was cheering. "Woo hoo! So I guess neither of us has to wear our pajamas to school tomorrow. Now, I don't know about you, but _I _am going to bed."_

_He didn't make it up to his room, though. Too tired. We both fell asleep on his couch together._

_So, apparently, Edward is good at everything._

_We both slept in the entire Sunday._

_Neither of us lost, but neither of us won, either._

_It was a pointless bet. But the kicker?_

_The next day at school, it was pajama day, and we had no idea. _

_End Flashback_

I smiled again. Edward and I have always been, and still are, very competitive with each other.

I thought back to some other memories with Edward. Pulling pranks on Emmett. Getting stuck on a ride at an amusement park for an hour with just him. Almost drowning at the beach… he saved my life that day.

I drifted off to sleep, thinking of some of the best times of my life.

**So, did you like it? I'd say I'm sorry for killing Jacob, but I'm really not. I'll put another wolf back in the story sometime, though. I like the chapter name, but I'm not really sure why… If this sounded too mature for a seventh grader, keep in mind that well… they are growing up. I remember that in 7****th****, people grew up pretty damn fast.**

**Even though this chapter may just seem like a filler, I hope that you somehow subtly get a foreshadowing message, here. Did that give away too much? Also, I'm thinking of calling the next chapter "With realization comes a meltdown" or something along the lines of that… that's all I'm gonna say. Next update should be… well, whenever I finish writing the next chapter, I guess. It's a big one, though. You don't wanna miss it. **

**Review and tell me if you loved it, hated it, wanted to print it out just so you could cover it in gasoline and burn it…? Or, if you don't want to tell me how you feel about my stories, tell me how you liked the movie? Thanks!**


	8. Chapter 6: Panic, ideas, and horror

**I am so, so sorry for not updating sooner. I have been SO busy lately. Also, I've been writing and rewriting this chapter a million times. But, I still can't get it right. I'm not really happy with how this turned out, but I hope that you like it, anyway.**

**On a different note, I've seen the Twilight movie SIX times now, but I'm aiming for seven. Does anyone know how much longer it'll be in theaters?  
**

**Oh, and one more thing. For Christmas, one of my friends gave me a box of sugar. And my pen name is "sugarhigh123"… haha. **

**Chapter 6: Panic, ideas, and horror**

_Edward's POV_

_Age 13_

Things have not gotten easier since I started liking my best friend. Actually, it's made everything much, much harder. My one solace is that I would get over it. It's a _crush_. They come and go for people like favorite colors. If I didn't know this, then I'd probably have a lapse of sanity.

It really has been tough, though. It's hard to believe all of the different emotions that are involved! Anger—I think—when she is talking to another guy. I feel sad when she's upset. Hope (though I'm not sure why) when I make her laugh. Helplessness, when she doesn't get what she wants. Guilt when I think about myself with her as more than friends. I can't think of her that way. It'll probably hurt later on, when she goes out with someone. That's when I become thankful that I'll get over it soon.

These feelings are crazy and annoying. It will all go away soon, though. This crush won't last much longer. Three or four years is more than enough. It'll all be over soon…

I was walking to Bella's locker so we could walk together to go to lunch when I heard a guy teasing her.

"You're such a nerd. Skinny arms, pale, chicken legs. And a teachers pet. You aren't good for anything." He taunted.

It was the new kid that was making fun of her. He got here a few weeks ago. He was huge, in the strength sense of the word. I had several inches on him in height, though. Then again, I'd gone through a growth spurt pretty early.

His name was James. When he had first got here, it was obvious that he was a pretty mean kid. But to witness it for my own eyes… and especially the proof being used on Bella! It brought out a horrible feeling. Anger pulsed through my veins, and I walked up to him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I asked, half-yelling.

He put his hands up in a defensive manner. "Chill out, man. Nothing."

"It didn't look like 'nothing'! Why would you say something like that to her?!"

He looked amused. "Dude. Relax. I'm just joking around, don't get all worked up about it." With that, he spun around and walked away.

I felt a little ridiculous getting so angry when he clearly thought nothing of it. But still, it was horrible that he would speak to Bella that way. I turned to look at her. She looked relieved.

"Are you okay?" I asked, some of my previous distress slipping into my voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She shook her head a little, as if trying to get rid of a disturbing image in her head. She didn't ask why I defended her; she already knew I would never let someone talk to her like that.

We walked to lunch in silence.

I really didn't think I had anything to worry about with James. I thought he would just find someone else to pick on. But, apparently, that wasn't the case. The next day, after school, I was let out late from my last period class. When I got out to find Bella, I heard James again.

"Seriously, why don't you just wear makeup? You're so ugly, and plain. You'd be lucky to get a guy to like you at eighteen." James said, pretty loudly.

Abruptly, I was furious. How could someone say something like that to Bella? How could someone say something like that to another human _being_?

I picked up my stride so I could get there quicker.

"You know, it's hard to believe that even that Edward guy is friends with you. He and that little black haired girl are the only people you even hang out with. You just don't have any friends, huh? No one really likes you." I got angrier. I was boiling mad. I could see them now. I could hear him making more taunts, until I finally reached them.

"What is _wrong_ with you?! Why would you say that to her? You know that none of that is true!" I yelled, poking his chest.

He snorted. "Not true? Sure. You just keep telling yourself that." He shoved my shoulder.

Was he really so desperate for a cheap thrill that he had to make others feel worse? _Especially_ by saying things (deleted "like that") that aren't even true.

I got closer to him until we were almost touching. I towered over him at 5'9, while he was only about 5'4. I was the tallest kid in my grade.

"Of course it's not true! I thought that I told you yesterday to back off!" I probably looked completely stupid, yelling at the guy. But at the moment, I couldn't care less. I was too angry.

See what I meant by all of the emotions? I was probably overreacting. Okay, not probably. I _was_ overreacting. A lot. But when it came to my crush on Bella, it made me think pretty irrationally.

"You probably think you're so tough. But, you know what? You're just a wimp, who thinks he's cool because he's tall. Guess what, buddy? You're not." He smiled mockingly.

At that moment, I wanted absolutely nothing more than to punch him. Just to get one swing, and cause him pain. I wanted to so badly, more than anything right now.

So I did.

He didn't expect it. He gasped in pain, holding the left side of his face where I hit him. I heard Bella yelp a little bit, and only then did I realize that she was still there. I turned to look at her; she looked frightened. Probably not a good idea to punch someone in front of her.

James took advantage of my distraction. He tried to take a swing at me, but I grabbed his fist just before it slammed into my chin. I felt the urge to punch him again, but I knew I shouldn't. But, out of instinct, I raised my hand in a fist. I was about to put it down again after some slightly rational thinking, but my hand froze in the air when I heard a teacher yell.

"Stop right there!" she called.

_Busted._

* * *

Three days. That's how long I was suspended for. It turns out that I broke James's nose. He was also suspended.

Esme and Carlisle were disappointed when they heard the news. They knew _why_ I did it, but they really wish I hadn't. They think I have an anger problem… maybe I do. Huh.

Emmett was proud of me. When he heard about what happened, he smiled and said, "I taught you well, young grasshopper." Or something like that.

Rosalie was angry that I punched him. She thinks I did it out of some male competition that she thinks we always are having. Jasper didn't care about what I did. Well, he was actually acting… almost the same as Alice was.

Alice was being weird about it. She was grinning smugly, like she knew something I didn't. Which, being Alice, she probably did.

Bella thinks that she could have stood up for herself, but I think that secretly she is glad that I came. Or, maybe that's just my mind trying to convince me that I am good for something in her life. Either way, she thinks that I shouldn't have punched James. I agree with her.

It was the weekend, now, and Bella and I were hanging out in my room, listening to music.

"You know, I am completely capable of standing up for myself," she said, glaring at me. I sighed. This was the 3rd time we'd had this conversation today.

"I know you can. I did it on impulse, okay? Besides, let's say that in some odd, twisted universe, I was a girl and you were a guy. You would have done the same thing in my situation."

She sighed and closed her eyes. I took this change to stare at her without her knowing.

She really was so pretty. So different than the average definition of it. I'd heard a lot of other guys say she is plain—example A, James— but I just don't see it. I don't understand how people think that.

I wish she would open her eyes. They were one of her best features. Then again, if she did, she could catch me staring.

I looked at her soft skin, and her perfect nose. The shape of her ears, the length of her hair…

But then I was staring at her lips. They were so soft; it made me want to…

Woah. I've never thought about that before. And I know that I'm definitely not _supposed_ to think about that. Especially if I want to get over her any sooner.

But I was still staring.

No! Ugh. This isn't helping. I have to have this stupid crush end sooner, so I can get on with my life without these annoying complications. Like staring at her when she doesn't know it.

Why did she have to be so pretty? Why couldn't my best friend be ugly?

Okay, now I'm overreacting. It's not like it's her fault, anyway. Besides, it's not like I don't _like_ looking at her.

I forced myself to tear my eyes away. I couldn't have her catch me. That would be an awkward conversation I definitely didn't want to have. Something to avoid.

Bella opened her eyes. Beautiful. Life is so unfair.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, blushing. Was I still staring? I thought I had looked away…

"Nothing." She didn't seem convinced, but she let it go.

* * *

A week later, at school, things were getting harder. Of course, it was already tough. But lately, it's been more… I don't know. I've just been feeling like change is coming. The bad kind.

It was ridiculous to think that. What could possibly happen? Okay, a lot of bad things could happen. But a lot of them were unreasonable.

I couldn't put my finger on why I sensed change. The routine of my days have been the same; Pick up Bella for school, hang out with friends in the morning, get harassed by Tanya, eat lunch, get harassed by Tanya, go to locker after school, find threatening love notes from Tanya, go home.

Oh yeah, I'm still harassed by Tanya.

She's like a fly you can't swat. Always annoying you the most at the worst times. I'm hoping that, like a fly, she will eventually just go away. I don't mean die, of course. Just get tired of her game, and go bug some other poor kid.

I walked into homeroom. Tanya sat next to me in it. Cullen, Denali. The names are close. Ugh.

"Hey, Edward," she said, batting her eyelashes. I nodded once without really looking at her, and turned away to try and finish homework.

"It'll happen soon. You and me, I can feel it." She sang. A fly.

So I wasn't the only one that felt change? Creepy. Probably just a pure coincidence for Tanya to think that. Really. Just my thoughts and paranoia scaring me again.

I am my own worst enemy.

That evening, Bella came over, like always. We were watching a movie. Alice was at Jasper's for a little while.

I'd watched plenty of movies with Bella. We always laughed at some cheesy lines in romantic movies, jumped at the scary ones. It was all natural. We'd been just hanging out like this for years.

So why was it that I had a strange urge to grab her hand?

I'd held it before. But it always was just on a friendship level. So why did I want to take her hand now, for an entirely different reason? A reason that was unfamiliar to me, that did not make sense.

I couldn't have myself _wanting_ a relationship with Bella. It was already bad enough that I liked her. It makes everything so much harder, so much _worse_ to start actually _wanting_ something more.

Of course, naturally, I'd always subconsciously wanted something more. But I'd already accepted that I would never, ever get anything more, and I'd always been perfectly fine with it. But, _now, _it felt like I was getting hope. _Hope_ for something more. This hope is something I should never, ever have.

How much longer would I like Bella? Would it be over soon? It would probably take longer, now, because my hand twitched towards hers.

I am so tired of this. Sooner or later, I'll just have to distance myself, just until I get over it. Which, I'm hoping will happen at some point in the very near future.

Bella put her head on my shoulder. It felt nice.

Okay, I could live with this for a little while.

We sat there like that until the movie was over. I was feeling excited and elated, but horrified at the same time.

It was great, because, well, it was Bella. The girl I've had a crush on for four years, more or less. Some guys didn't even have the courage to talk to the girl they liked, and I had her as my best friend! Pretty good, if you ask me. Except, at moments like the one I had an hour ago. About the wanting to hold her hand, I mean.

It was terrifying because this was not going to help me get over this any quicker. And I couldn't push her away, because that would probably make her feel hurt. Also, I really didn't _want_ to push her away. But, it's just so wrong to think of how much I crave to be with her. I really don't like crushes.

I hate middle school.

* * *

Weeks later, things are _still _getting worse. Every day, when I walk into homeroom, Tanya looks at me, like she's anxious for something… or expecting something. Must be my imagination running wild.

Also, more problems that prevent me from getting over my crush on Bella are increasing. Before, I would just once in a while have the urge to play with her soft hair, or to stare at her for too long. But, that kind of thing is happening more often. A couple days ago, I had almost even asked her out, without even thinking. I stopped myself, of course. Just this morning, I found my hand reaching towards hers. Lucky for me, her back was turned around, so she didn't see anything.

Today, after school, Bella came over for an hour. She had a dentist appointment at four. She came over while she could, though, and all six of us—the group, I mean—were at me and Alice's house. Rosalie and Emmett were in the living room. The rest of us would have gone down there, too, but we didn't really want to walk in on something we really didn't want to see. Jasper, Bella, Alice, and I were in Alice's room, since it was the biggest, aside from the master bedroom.

Alice was sitting next to Jasper on the couch. I was on a chair, and Bella was on the bed.

"So, Bella, you don't have any plans this weekend, do you?" Alice asked.

"Um, no, I don't think so. Why?" Only Bella would be oblivious to where she was going with this…

"Well, after my birthday present of a nice, long shopping trip was canceled due to _someone_ breaking their leg at the party," she glared at Bella, "my mom promised to let me have one this weekend. And, guess who's going with me?" Bella groaned.

I smiled to myself. Bella was really not one for long hours at the mall.

"Why, Alice? Rose loves shopping almost as much as you do, why don't you go with her? Or just take Jasper? He's your boyfriend!" I couldn't help but laugh. Bella turned to look at me, and blushed. I smiled.

Jasper cringed. "I've gone with her too many times to count. I think I've been to one too many girly stores. A guy can only handle so much." He winced again at the memory.

Alice jumped in. "And you are so much easier to experiment on, Bella! Rose " Even though Alice was talking, I didn't look at her. I was still staring at Bella. Her cheeks were still red, and I loved it. But I shouldn't. Ugh. Why is it taking so long to get over her?

We talked for a few more minutes, until we heard Bella's dad's car outside. Alice, Jasper and I followed her into the hallway to wave goodbye. After she left, I stared at the door for a few seconds. I heard Alice say something to Jasper behind me.

"I need to talk to Edward for a second," she murmured. "I'll meet you in my room in a minute."

Jasper must have left, because a moment later, Alice stood next to me and spoke.

"You've been staring at her all day." I didn't know Alice was perceptive. That's always good, I guess. Or maybe I've just been pretty obvious about it.

She went on. "You like her," she told me. Okay, maybe it's _not_ always a good thing.

"I bet you are totally sure that you are going to get over her, too." Way too perceptive. How did she know that? Well, it _is_ Alice. She knows everything. I turned to look at her.

"What makes you think I like her?"

"Edward. You know I know."

I sighed. "I guess. You can't tell anyone, though. Of course, you already know that, too."

"Yeah, yeah. But, Edward? You should stop trying. It's not going to work."

I was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you telling yourself that the crush will be over soon. That you are going to stop liking her. You won't." I couldn't make myself comprehend what that meant. I didn't want to. Because it's not possible. I just… I can't.

"Edward, you aren't going to just get over her. I can't believe you don't know that. One day, when we are older, you'll even love her."

No! That's not… I couldn't make sense of it.

"Alice, I'm only thirteen! I'm not in love! Besides, you don't love Jasper!" I said, sounding hysterical.

"Of course you aren't in love, Edward! Like you said, you are only thirteen. And, no, I'm not in love with Jasper. _I'm_ only thirteen. But I will love him, one day. And you will be too."

"What? I'm not going to be in love with Jasper!" Better to make a joke about this than to believe she is telling the truth, or to show her just how close to a meltdown I was with her information.

"You idiot! I was talking about Bella! I know that you really want to get over her, but you won't, trust me. I know these things."

I can't! She can't be right! No! That's just… no!

Alice must have read the panic on my face. "Calm down, Edward. It's not that bad. Don't freak out. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?!" I yelled.

"Shh!" Alice shushed me. "Jasper is in the other room!"

I ignored her. "Alice, of course it's a big deal! I don't _want_ to like her! It's bad enough that I do! I've been telling myself for the past… how long has it been, four years? Well I've been telling myself it was just a crush, and I'd get over it! And then you take away the small amount of comfort I have, by telling me that the feeling will only get stronger, and worse?! You're wrong, Alice! You're wrong! I'll be sure to prove it!" I ran to my room and slammed my door shut.

This can't be true. It can't be! The one solace I have, that I'll get over it, and then Alice just rips it out of my hands, by telling me that one day I'll be in love with her, and that all of this hard work and focus is all just a waste of time! She must be wrong.

Except that Alice is always right.

Oh no.

I'll make sure that she's wrong! No one can be right all of the time, right? I'll do everything it takes, to make sure that I can get over my crush, and not—it was hard to think the word—_love_ her one day.

This is completely unfair! The one thing that is sure to hurt me the most, and Alice drops it on me. Why? How could Alice think that I'd get such strong feelings for Bella at one point? Did she think that telling me that would actually _help _be in some way? I will never like her more than a crush. Because if I were to someday love her, it would mean that I wouldn't get over her, which goes against something I believed like it was a religion.

Alice would never be right.

Maybe I'm being irrational. Okay, I _know_ I am. But when you hate something about yourself, but know that there will be relief from it and then it all gets crushed, it can make it hard to see sense.

I would need to come up with something that would get me over it. Something to prove Alice wrong. Like… a plan. Or something along those lines.

I would have to move on. And, try to stay away from Bella, too. That way, I could stop myself from starting to like her again, and wasting my effort on just doing the same thing I've been doing the past few years. I would really try this time. But, I wouldn't be able to do it like this. I'd need help. A strategy.

I searched my room for a piece of paper. When I found one, I got a pencil. I would have used a pen, but I couldn't find one. I drew three squares on the right side of the paper.

On the line next to the first box, I wrote "move on". Once I got over Bella, I would put a check mark there.

On the line next to the second box, I wrote "stay away". That would be checked when I was able to distance myself from her. I winced. That would be very hard. But, I had to try.

On the line next to the third box, I wrote "get over". I'd check that when I no longer had any chance of falling in love with her, and the day that I would prove Alice wrong.

At the very bottom of the page, to remember my purpose, I wrote something in big letters.

_I, Edward Cullen, promise to never love my best friend, Isabella Swan._

When I thought about it, it all seemed very ridiculous. But, I had a crisis, and this was my way of solving it.

Now, on to the list. Move on. That usually meant… finding someone else. It was a long shot, to actually like another girl. It almost seemed impossible. But, someone else could actually help me get over Bella more quickly… so maybe if I tried to find someone to be with, it would make it easier. Anything that will reach me towards my goal quicker.

But could I do that to someone? Could I do that to _myself_?

It really felt cruel to use a girl as a prop like this—I have been taught a million times better than that, but it wasn't like I was just going to get rid of her as soon as I didn't need her anymore.

I was going to try to like the girl—whoever would be willing. I had to. It might be the only way out.

My last chance. My last way out.

I took a deep breath and pulled my phone out of my pocket. My hands were shaking. I dialed a number that's called me so many times that I've memorized it.

"Hello?" said the high-pitched, chirpy voice on the other end. I really wished I had some other girl to choose from. But, she was probably the only one that was… willing. I sighed again. Well, here goes nothing.

"Hey, Tanya, it's me. Edward. I wanted to ask… if, um… you wanted to… go out with me?"

**Yes, I know you all hate me. I have a few things to explain. First off: Let me make this very clear. Edward. Is. Not. In. Love. He's thirteen! So no comments saying "he's too young to be in love!" Because he's NOT.**

**Second: You might be confused by Edward's meltdown-like behavior. Well think about it for a minute. Imagine that you… oh, I don't know. Hurt your legs in a car crash or something. The doctor tells you that if you exercise, you'll be back to normal soon. So you work your hardest, tire yourself, but tell yourself it'll all be worth it in the end. Then, one day, after years (this is just a metaphor) of exercising and hard work, the doctor tells you that you'll never be able to walk again, no matter what. Wouldn't that piss you off?**

**And last: Sorry it took weeks and weeks to update. I've been trying very hard to get this chapter just right, and… it's still not. I'm really not happy with how this chapter came out. But, whatever. I hope it's not as bad for you all as it is for me… gah. Anyways, review, and I'll get the next chapter out sooner. I want to know what you all honestly thought. Thanks!**

**P.S. Thank you SO much, 2White Flame16, for the bullying idea. I love it!**


	9. Chapter 7: A not so perfect first date

**I am so sorry that I always take so long to update. Explanation in authors note at the bottom of the page. By the way, don't hate me for the last chapter! You might want to reread the second half, though, to get back up-to-date on this.**

**Chapter 7: A not-so-perfect first date**

_Previously…_

"Hey, Tanya, it's me. Edward. I wanted to ask… if, um… you wanted to… go out with me?"

_Edward's POV_

"Oh, hi!" Tanya sounded surprised. "Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

I smiled a little. Phase one of my "plan" was over. "Thanks. How about we go out with my friends to the movies this weekend? Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett…"

"Sounds great. Hey… Edward? What make you change your mind? About me, I mean," she said, almost reluctantly.

Well, I obviously couldn't tell her the truth. Maybe just a general, vague answer would work for her. "Oh, I just started thinking about it... and stuff… you know…" I didn't sound at all convincing.

That seemed to work for her, despite my poor attempts at lying. "Awesome! See? I told you that you would say yes one day," she said smugly.

"Heh, right…" I agreed, though in my mind I in no way wanted this. But, I NEEDED this.

I think.

While I was talking I searched my room for some tape. Once I found some, I held the phone between my head and shoulder. I ripped off a piece of tape and used it to stick my "checklist" to the very back corner of my closet. That way, no one would ever see it.

"Alright! Well, bye, Edward," Tanya said, giggling a little at the end. Ugh.

"See ya." I turned the phone off and put it back in my pocket. I'd done the right thing. I wasn't meant to be with Bella. I'm not supposed to like her.

So why did the entire phone call feel very… wrong?

I shook my head. I couldn't think like that. It wouldn't do me any good to have second thoughts.

I wanted to go downstairs to see if Emmett and Rosalie were still here. So, I opened the door, only to find a very angry Alice right outside of it. Her face was bright red.

"Alice? What are you doing outside my door? Wait—were you listening to my conversation?!"

"Shut up, Edward! Why did you ask Tanya out?! You don't like her like that! You barely even like her as a person!" she yelled.

"I panicked, okay? I had to do it!" I tried to explain, though I doubted she'd understand. But still, wasn't my idea as obvious to her as it was for me?

"You are just making everything more complicated. Why didn't you listen to me?"

"Trust me, I listened…" I mumbled.

She ignored me. "You idiot. Are you _trying_ to ruin your life?"

"Of course not! I'm trying to make it _better_."

"And going out with Tanya will help you do that?!"

"Yes!" How did she not understand how this would work? "You know, this is your fault. If you hadn't told me that thing about Bella—"

She interrupted me. "Come _on_! That was no big deal! You should have known that anyway!"

"Well, I didn't. And because of that, I am now going out with Tanya." That just didn't sound right to me. _I am now going out with Tanya_. It sounded wrong coming out of my mouth. Like the words shouldn't be mine. I tried to ignore it.

She shook her head and slapped her forehead. "You are making everything worse. Asking her out was a big mistake."

Since Alice is—for the most part—always right, this made me feel nervous. But, my decision was already made. I would stick to it.

"Alice, if you think I'm screwing up my life, let me. It's not like I'm brining the rest of you into my problems."

She was angry again. "Speaking of that, a triple date? Now what makes you think the rest of us would agree to that?" Oh. I'd forgotten about that part. Oops.

"Sorry about that. Will you go, though? Please? Just once."

Alice looked at me doubtfully. "You'll have to talk to the others about that. I'll go, if they say yes. But that's only because I know it will be a huge disaster, anyway."

"Thanks, Alice. I really appreciate it." I said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes.

"Go talk to them. They're all downstairs."

"Fine." I walked downstairs, with Alice following behind me. Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper were sitting on the couch. When I walked in, they all turned to look at me.

"Hey everyone…" I hesitated. "Um, I have something to tell you."

"You aren't coming out of the closet, right?" Emmett joked. Rosalie punched his arm.

I ignored him. "I may have… well, asked Tanya out."

"Tanya Denali?" he asked.

"…Yeah."

Jasper shook his head and mumbled "idiot". Emmett laughed. Rosalie had a strange reaction. She jumped out of her seat and started yelling.

"What's wrong with you?!" Are you _trying_ to ruin our lives? And our _sanity_? We all hate Tanya! You know that! What did we ever do to you?!"

"Well—" I started.

"That's not what I meant. How could you do that to us, Edward? And how could you do that to _yourself_?"

"You've been hanging out with Alice too much," I muttered. Emmett laughed again.

"Anyway," I continued, "I'm not done. Please don't hate me. But, well, you all are going on a date with Tanya and I this weekend."

Emmett stopped laughing. It was dead silent for a few seconds. Then, the three of them all started yelling. It was hard to understand what they were saying, but I think that it was mostly cursing and swearing towards me. Only Alice stayed calm. She had already heard this news.

"Stop!" I tried to scream over the others. "Look, I'm sorry. It was an accident. I didn't mean to do it. It was the first thing that came to mind!" Okay, that was a lie. I had suggested that to Tanya so I wouldn't have to be alone with her. And, judging by everyone's reactions, it sounded like the others didn't like her, either.

"I have a question for you, Edward," Rosalie said curtly. "How are you going to tell this to Bella?"

Oh god. How _was_ I going to do that? She probably wouldn't care about me going out with someone, except for the fact that it was _Tanya_; who—as far as Bella's concerned—is the closest to the devil that we'd find.

Also, she would be so left out, because we were all going together, except for me. I mean, she could come too, but that would make for a very awkward first date.

I sighed. "I haven't thought about that. I'll talk to her later on today." I sat down on the extra chair and put my cheek in my hand.

* * *

The phone had been lying on the table in front of me for ten minutes. I was trying to bring myself to call Bella and tell her about Tanya.

The reason I couldn't do it was because she would feel betrayed. We had always ridiculed Tanya, and despised her. But now, I was going out with the enemy. The lowest of lows.

_Just do it_, I told myself. I forced my shaky hands to pick up the phone and dial Bella's number. _I can do this._

"Hello?" a sweet voice answered.

"Hey, Bella. How'd the dentist appointment go?" I asked, out of courtesy.

"Good. No cavities!"

"You never have any." I smiled, but frowned quickly, realizing what I was about to tell her. "Listen… I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay, shoot."

"I asked Tanya out."

She was silent for a long, long minute. Crap. What have I done?

"I thought you hated Tanya."

"Well, she's not so bad." Or, at least, I was hoping she wasn't.

"Then… congratulations, Edward! I'm happy for you." Was she really? I guess I'd never know.

"Thanks."

"You don't sound very happy," Bella noted.

"Oh, I guess it just hasn't set in yet."

"The excitement?"

"Uh huh!" I lied.

"I get what you mean. Your first date, after all."

"Yep." I felt a little sad, wishing my first was with Bella. Even though I knew I shouldn't be.

"It sounds like there's something else you want to say. What is it?"

"Um." I sounded guilty. "Me, Tanya, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper are going on a group date. I really hope you don't mind."

She was quiet again. Had I gone too far?

"Yeah, that's fine. Don't worry about it."

"You can come, if you want. But it might be a little…"

"Yeah, I know. No, you guys go. Have fun."

"Thanks. And I'm sorry." And I really was.

"Hey, it's fine." Her voice sounded cheery, but off. "Really. Oh, I have to go eat dinner."

"Talk to you later, Bella." My voice, too, didn't sound right. Kind of high pitched and sad, or something.

"See ya." She hung up.

So the hard part was over. I'd called Bella, and she was fine with my going out with Tanya. Or, at least, she said she was.

Still, though I knew it was a terrible thing to think, I kind of wished that Bella was jealous. Of course, that was just because I had a crush on her.

Well, that was over. In a few days, I had a date, which would make or break my plan.

* * *

Today was the day. It was Saturday, the day of the date. Everyone was getting ready. The five of us were going to meet Tanya at the theater at seven thirty. Everyone was calm, relaxed, and ready for this.

Everyone except me. I was freaking out. What did I know about relationships? Nothing! I had no experience, and I had now idea what to expect. One thing was for sure, though. I had never expected my first date to be with _Tanya_.

Alice had been in her room for an hour trying to decide what to wear. Me? I couldn't care less what I wore. It wasn't like I actually wanted to impress Tanya or something. Though I knew I should make an effort, I couldn't bring myself to.

We were not seeing a horror movie, as must people would think we were. We were seeing a comedy, I think. I couldn't remember the name of it.

Half an hour later, the five of us were piled in the back of Emmett's dad's SUV. When we got to the theater, we said goodbye to his dad and walked over to where Tanya was standing.

"Hey, everyone." Tanya nodded to my friends, barely looking at them. "Edward," she said, batting her eyelashes. I wanted to roll my eyes. _It's going to be a long night._

We paid for our tickets and went inside. We were half an hour early, so we would have to wait outside the door of the theater.

It was very tense, with none of us talking. We were all glancing around nervously, pretending that we didn't know the reason for the atmosphere.

"Well," Alice announced, trying to break the ice, "it looks like we're going to be here a little while."

Rosalie stiffly nodded, and Tanya laughed awkwardly. We were quiet again.

I knew this was going to be awkward, but I didn't know it would be THIS bad. Well, at least we were going to the movies, so we wouldn't have to make forced conversation.

When they finally let us in, we sat between the middle and back. Emmett and Rosalie on the far right, Jasper and Alice in the middle, and Tanya and I on the left. Alice sat next to me, and Tanya was next to an empty seat.

Alice stepped on my toe. I shot her a sharp glance.

"Don't screw this up any worse than it already is," she murmured too low for anyone else to hear. I sighed, and waited for the movie to start.

About a half hour into the film, I realized something. Wasn't this supposed to be a comedy? There were two people on screen, a man and a woman. As far as I knew, the guy was trying to get the girl.

_Romantic _comedy. Ugh. I should've known.

Then, another half hour later, the two people kissed. Out of no where, my mind replaced the faces on the screen with mine and Bella's.

God, what is _wrong_ with me? I am supposed to be on a date with someone, and I'm picturing another girl kissing me!

I looked to my right, uncomfortable. Emmett and Rosalie were making out, oblivious to the movie. Alice and Jasper, on the other hand, were completely intent on it, their eyes glued to the screen. I saw something moving in the corner of my eye.

It was Tanya's hand, inching closer to mine. She was moving it slowly, in a way that made me think that she didn't want to 'make the first move', but still wanted something. I knew she was waiting for me to grab her hand.

Isn't this what I wanted? To move on with another girl? I assumed this would help. So, I took her hand, but it didn't feel right. It felt… out of place.

I finally just gave into my thoughts, and imagined the hand I was holding was Bella's.

* * *

"That was the longest movie ever," Emmett complained.

"It's not like you were watching any of it," I retorted. He winked at Rosalie. She giggled.

"So, Edward, we should do this again sometime." Tanya looked up at me.

I really didn't want to set a date yet. "Um, I'll call you."

"'Kay." Her phone vibrated. She looked at the caller ID, and sighed. "That's my mom, she's probably here. Bye, everyone."

My friends all waved half-heartedly at her, except Rosalie, who just glared at me. I didn't understand why she was so bent up about this, more than the others. Well, except Alice. But still.

"So, that wasn't so bad," I offered.

"You're just lucky this was a movie, so we wouldn't have to actually _do _anything," Jasper said.

I sighed. "Like I said, I'm sorry. Don't worry. My next date with her won't be a group one."

"Wait. You're going out with her again?" Rosalie asked, surprised.

"Well, yeah. Why not?"

"Oh, I'll tell you why not—" Rosalie started. Alice shushed her.

"Rosalie, he can go out with who he wants. It's not our decision to make. Let him screw up his date life if he wants." She glared at me. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not screwing it up. This isn't a mistake." I think.

When Emmett's dad came to pick us up, we were silent. Everyone was thinking about how my going out with Tanya was going to affect tings. Or, at least, _I_ was.

No one agreed with my decision about Tanya. They all hated her. _I _barely liked her. Was this a sign that I made a bad choice?

I didn't make a mistake, did I?

**Sorry this is kind of short. Again, I am so, so sorry for not updating. I realized that I made a big mistake by not writing most or all of the story before posting it. But, there is no way I'm going to stop writing this, because I love it too much. So, unfortunately, the updates should be kind of far apart. I apologize for that. I'll really try to get this written quicker.**

**Also, please don't hate me, or tell me this story sucks because of Edward and Tanya. Has anyone realized that I am just putting plot into the story, and that of course Bella and Edward are going to end up together? I hate stories where they don't, and I'm not a hypocrite. So, just calm down, and put this on alert, if you like it so far. I think you'll like how it ends.**

**Next chapter is going to be in Bella's POV. Thank you, by the way, to everyone who has read this and enjoyed it so far!**


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